Got Food?
When I think of food, like most people I’m usually looking forward to what I’m going to eat during my next meal. But let’s dive a little deeper for a minute. What’s your relationship with food? Quite a few people have a less than functional relationship. You may eat when you’re bored. You may overeat when you have had a stressful moment (or day, week, month). You may overeat when you’re socializing. You may even forget to eat meals. These are just a few of the behaviors that may indicate your relationship with food could be described as neglectful. Our bodies need nutrients in order to function properly. Research suggests our brains work more efficiently as well when we have nutrient rich meals.
Practicing mindfulness eating is an easy technique to utilize to help ensure you’re paying the proper amount of attention to the food you eat. Several years ago I experimented with this technique when I realized I had developed the habit of eating fast food more often than I preferred. So when I ate fast food I brought my attention to how my body felt. I realized I felt gross whenever I ate fast food. That disgusting feeling had always been there, but I had not paid attention to the feeling. Now I was bringing my attention fully to the feeling and DID NOT LIKE IT! In order to prevent feeling that way, I needed to make other choices. Recognizing the other choices for food available became easier as I remembered how gross I would feel if I ate the hamburger and fries.
Changing our eating habits is not always easy. Take some time to build some awareness to the food you eat. Identify any foods you eat on a regular basis that may not be healthy choices. Feel free to work with a #nutritionist if you’re not sure. Bring some awareness to any thing that triggers you to make unhealthy choices. Make a plan for those events. For example, I typically like something a little sweet after lunch or dinner. I can make sure I have dark chocolate almonds on hand to make sure I don’t go buy a candy bar from the vending machine. Take a hard look at your habits. We typically fall into habits with our food choices, and just like any other behavioral choice, we each have the ability to modify our behavior. Take control, eat healthy, not just for today but for the future life you want to live.
